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PRESENTED BY 



[From the Genealogical Quarterly, Jan. 1905.] 



Vital Records of the Town of Brewster, Mass., to the end 
of the year 1849, literally transcribed under the direction of George 
Ernest Bowman, Editor of the Mayflower Descendant. Published 
by the Mass. Society of Mayflower Descendants at the charge of the 
Cape Cod Town Record Fund. Boston, 1904. 8vo, cloth, pages 281. 

This volume of records is the first fruit of the Cape Cod Town 
Record Fund which originated with members of the Mayflower So- 
ciety, and by means of which we shall eventually have at hand for 
convenient reference the records of the principal towns in south- 
eastern Massachusetts. Not only are we thus enabled to have access 
in print to a literal copy, not a chopped and disfigured alphabet of 
names and dates such as are being published by other societies (who 
should know better),, but the records are preserved for all time- 
insured against loss or defacement by fire, water or any of the 
dangers which are ever present, and of which all who have occasion 
to refer to old records are well aware. 

The history of this volume is of unusual interest. From the outset 
the Society has printed town records as in the oiiginal, and in the 
Mayflower Descendant are to be found in print many of our early 
records of births, marriages and deaths ; but it is also safe to assert, 
though the writer has no information regarding this point, that it 
was expected that the State of Massachusetts would extend the op- 
eration of the Vital Statistics Law so as to allow the Mayflower 
Society the privileges accorded other societies printing town records, 
aud thus not only obtain for public libraries throughout the state the 
advantages of possession of copies of this valuable record, but permit 
the Mayflower Society to recoup itself, in part, from the fund annu- 
ally appropriated by the State for the encouragement of the preserva- 
tion in print of our towu records. This, however, was not to be. 
Tlie Commission, having power to accept this work as one of the 
series of Vital Statistics, refused, on the ground, it is believed, that 



2 Vilal Records of the Town oj Brewster. 

not being printed in the fashion preferred by the Commission it could 
not be accepted. The law calls for a literal copy of the records to 
be deposited witli the Secretary of State ; does not prescribe how 
the printed copy shall be arranged. But it is manifestly the intent 
of the law to obtain tlie preservation of the records, and will anyone 
assert that there is any better manner of attaining that end than by 
printing a literal copy ! We regret sincerely the failure of the Society 
to obtain recognition so well deserved, thus robbing the genealogical 
public to the extent of hampering the work of the Society in printing 
these invaluable records, which otherwise would proceed much faster. 

Now as to the book itself. First, it is well printed on good paper, 
in proper sized type, and is a credit to all concerned. 

Brewster was incorporated in 1803 and was named in honor of 
Elder William Brewster. Originally a part of Harwich, it is of course 
necessary to refer to other records than those here printed for the 
vital statistics of the people of Brewster before the incorporation, yet 
there are very many eutries of births prior to the date of incorpora- 
tion. In every case reference is given to the page of the original 
record, thus facilitating research if any doubt arises as to the correct- 
ness of the transcript. And in this connection it is well to bear in 
mind that in the town records accepted by the Commission, those 
publications subsidized by the State, this very important feature is 
entirely lacking. If one hesitates to accept the dictum of the editor 
of the alphabetically arranged Vital Statistics there is no help for it 
save to examine either the original or the IMSS. copj' in the office of 
th« Secretary of State, and as the majority of ancient records do not 
appear in exact chronological order, there is almost sure to be an ex- 
asperating search to find the entry wanted. 

Mr. Bowman has edited the Brewster record with good judgment, 
printing every entry except certain duplications, but when these entries 
are not in the literal sense duplicates of former eutries he has not omit- 
ted them. Thus one may refer to this volume with as absolute surety of 
finding every item of the record as if the record itself were examined. 

The names of ninety four advance subscribers to the Brewster 
Records are printed, among which appear but two Massachusetts 
libraries, a striking commentary on how the action of tlie Commission 
will surely be viewed by Public Libraries, who expected the usual 
distribution by the state, which has taken 500 co[)ie8 of the other Vital 
Statistics at a price profitable to the publishers. A hasty estimate 
of what would have been due to the Mayflower Society under a proper 

Gift 
Author 
■''. ; (Person) 

'^'"" 4i;;/'05 



Vital Records of the Town of Brewster. 3 

interpretation of the law for 500 copies of this vohime, the number 
the Commission is authorized to purchase, shows that the Mayflower 
Society might, under fair treatment, have recouped its fund to the 
extent of at least $750, perhaps fully $1000 ; which would have paid 
the cost of bringing out another volume of records., 

There is an excellent index to the Brewster Records, and it 
would not surprise the writer if this volume brought about a needed 
reform in the rulings of the Commission, and resulted in the pub- 
lication of Vital Statistics in the only form which should be coun- 
tenanced officially. E. P. 






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